The Garden

Latest oil painting! 

P.C. Pig Celebrates National Pig Day March 1, 2011

 National Pig Day was started in 1972, according to this article in the Huffington Post.  So, I thought it an appropriate time to celebrate P.C. Pig and her antique cars from these three 36" x 36" oil paintings I did of the Green Flash in La Jolla, California.  These paintings now reside in Seattle at the home of the Autrey Wilson Taylors which makes it even nicer to visit there!

Plum Blossom Dew

A photo composite combining my backyard flowering plum tree, shot at 1AM with moonlight reflecting off the rain/dew drops and, another photo taken when I got up at 9:30AM of the rain/dew drops reflecting the beautiful morning sun.  The dew on the tree looked like sparkling diamonds it glittered so.

Flower Quilt

A composite of various digital and oil paintings for Illustration Friday's word "Layers."

Snow in Marin!

Blue Jay and the other backyard birds don't know what to make of it!

Looking back from 1972 to the E.A. Autrey family in 1966

Backyard Blue Jay Contemplating the Garden

while thinking about, wishing for and singing about PEANUTS!

Reading Christopher Hitchens' exquisite memoir in between taking photos of my favorite things outside in 77 degree weather. 

The perfect Sunday!

Attacked by Wild Turkeys

So, for my post birthday, at the invitation of Kim Foscato, I go out to Skywalker Ranch for a delightful karate class taught by the incomparable Derek Bentley.  Thankfully my Yoga Fairfax classes have gotten me back in shape enough to keep up.  As I cruise back to my car with lunch in hand, I'm attacked by two wild turkeys!  There were three Toms courting a Hen.  I made the mistake of stopping and making eye contact.  When they saw me watching them two Toms veered off and started after me.  I threw ice water at them to no avail and ran to my car.  Like the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park (which, according to this article were, in fact, just scary turkeys) they split up and came after me from the front and end of my car.  Swinging my fanny pack and lunch at them, I scrambled to get into the car as they huffed and puffed and jumped and moved in closer.  Once in my car, they tried to stop me from leaving and, after finally getting by them, I could see them in my rear view mirror chasing after me running 10 miles per hour.  Phew!  Turns out there are a lot of Wild Turkey attacks out there these days if the YouTube turkey attack videos are any indication.  But guess what - they are not all attacking Mail Persons.

The photo pictured here was taken last Spring at Skywalker.  It seemed appropriate since the weather today was very Springish.  The turkey is from the beautiful book "Birds - The Art of Ornithology" by Jonathan Elphick and is one of John James Audubon's hand-colored aquatints.  The book is well worth having.  The turkeys are not.  Let's all eat Turkey for dinner this week!

Seattle Running Mom

Pictured here is Amber running with the twins down the streets of Seattle around GasWorks Park and back - a quick three miler (except when you have to stop for the light).  The air was clean and crisp at 36 degrees.

No Outlet

Driving down the back roads from Petaluma to San Anselmo this past week,  I stopped to watch a flock of starlings.  They were flying up into the air and diving for insects or massing together on the open fields and on telephone lines.  There were hundreds of birds, all chirping loudly and enjoying the day.  It seemed idyllic until one looked more closely at the ramshackle farm house and the "No Outlet" sign.  It might be fun for the birds but I doubt if it's easy being a farmer.

Camels in Petaluma?

Look who I ran into on the back road to Marin after going to Cottage Gardens in Petaluma! This big guy was next to a field filled with goats.  Not what I was expecting to see but a lovely sight nevertheless.

Hand Painted Bookmarks at Iolite Event

These hand painted bookmarks, and more, will be available for only $2/ea at the 6th Annual Iolite Art Event and Party.  More info and directions are here "What Me Worry?".  Click on EVENTS then 1/22/2011 for directions.  Click on IOLITE 6TH ANNUAL ART EVENT AND PARTY for the invitation and time.

Angel Elsa Acting Goofy

Lucy in the Garden

Marin Moon Sky

The end of another beautiful day in Marin!

Chicken Walking On Water

Although I created this Rooster in San Francisco Bay 20"x24" oil painting  in 2007, it seems appropriate today both for Illustration Friday's word "chicken" and as a symbol of hope.  When I lived briefly in Portugal years ago I was impressed by all of the good luck roosters I saw there so was inspired to create one of my own walking on water in the San Francisco bay.   According to Wikipedia, to walk on water means to do something nearly impossible.  We need more people (not chickens) walking on water these days and fewer of them shooting people with words, pictures and bullets.

Pink, A Story in Four Parts

Pink Vase with Scanned Objects

The 6th and final (at least for now) vase with scanned objects still life. 

Vase With Scanned Button Flowers

Vase with scanned objects #5.

Cat Contemplating The Five Autrey Sisters

San Francisco Alley

Took the ferry into San Francisco today with Marcia Meyer.  Lunch at my favorite Dim Sum City View Restaurant was delicious, as usual.  Poking around Chinatown taking photographs and buying odds and ends.  Delightful day.

Dragonfly Vase with Scanned Brooches

This is number 4 in my series of vases with scanned objects.  I've been collecting brooches for years - some going back to my childhood.  Now that I don't have a place to wear them and show them off (ie an office) I'm happy to be able to use them in this digital floral arrangement.

The vase is from one of the glass studios in Benicia, CA.  Here are links to some of the studios worth visiting there:
Nourot Studio
Lindsay Art Glass
Smyers Glass

What Me Worry?

2010 New Year's Resolution:  Have more fun, worry less.  Good advice from MAD Magazine's Alfred E. Newman.

This is the 3rd in a series of vases filled with scanned objects - in this case a few of my oil paint brushes. 

Red Vase with Marbles

This is the second in a series of vases filled with scanned objects.  The red glass vase was given to me on my 60th birthday.  It is now filled with scanned glass marbles I've had since the 1950s.

The Art of Recycling

Having spent the day listening to the rain and scanning stones I picked up in Paros, Greece and Willamette, Oregon I wanted to put the rocks to good use.  So, I've taken a vase painted by J.L. Autrey and combined it with some scanned carrot artwork, my rocks and a scan of one of my brooches.  Voila! A beautiful still life I call "Vase with Scanned Objects." 

Anza Borrego

Playing around with old B&W negatives from 1973

ChristmasTree2010.mov

Alphabet Ants and the Taylor Twins

Toy Story

New 8x10 oil on canvas still life painting.  I've had the truck for years but recently added a menagerie of bird toys bought at Susan's Store Room.

Pink Candy

I painted this abstract before my most recent physical.  Because of my love for hard candy, I shouldn't be surprised that my cholesterol levels are back up in dangerous territory (243 mg/dl) and my glucose levels (99 mg/dl) are too high as well.  I guess I'll have to get my sugar fix in future looking at candy art rather than eating it.